Glass wool apparatus



' GLASS WOOL APPARATUS Filed nec. 3o, 1937 BY WLMQMM/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE t Y azzecca ouisswoor. mm'rus n. wenn. om, N. Y., wenn, by Y meine assignments, to Owens-Corning Fiber- Gorporation, a corporation of Delaware so, im, sex-m No. 182,511

(ci. ila-5s) .15 filaments.

The invention features a melting furnace of semicycliudrical` form. mounted on trunnions for movement about its longitudinal axis and having a'refiactory metal lip disposed along one edge go which terminates in a notched flange along its outer edge thru which individual bodies iiow for attenuation into laments.

Further features of the invention will be readily apparent from a study of the accompanying as specification and drawing in which:

i is an elevation in perspective showing the furnace from its workingA side: and

Pig. 2 is an elevation on a-transverse section thru Fig. l. 30 As shown in the above drawing, the apparatus comists of a semicyiindrical melting receptacle ii formed of refractory material and encased in l refractory insulating material If and supported in a shell i3. An electrical resistance heating 35 unit il is positioned between the receptacle and the insulating material and is connected with a suitable source of current by means of lead wires il. A refractory cover It is positioned above the melting receptacle and has therein a charging opening i1 communicating with the interior of the receptacle. Electrical resistance elements il are positioned in a cavity i9 in the cover in suchmanner that they heat the surface 20 inmediately above the receptacle to a uniform f temperature thruout its area.

Walls 2l around three sides of container Il substantially prevent egress of heat or molten material from the furnace. Along the remaining side of the receptacle is disposed a refractory 50 metal flow plate Il. This plate may be formed of any of the high temperature corrosion resistant metals such as the iron-nickel-chromium alloys, platinum and the platinum group alloys.- This plate may be merely a continuation of the furnace 55 lining I l or, if this is a ceramic material the plate may be provided with a fiangejllhieh fthe" edge of the melting receptacle extends piu'-z lf3 tially into the same, thereby providing a resisting lip for the receptacle over which 'molten glass may dow. An upwardly extending-aus!!y .ii

Il is formed along the outer edge of plate 22 and is provided with a pluralitylof nowl openings which in thepresent embodiment of the invention take the y yform' of small notches' 2l; Il A depending section of. the-.cover llover- ,lo hangs the iiow plate fl'lto'aid vin controliing the temperature thereof. Heating means II arePOSi: tioned beneath the cover kIG between the-depende' ingsection 25 and the body of the furnace and- -f openings 21 are provided in the upper surface of? 15. the cover I6 and are equipped withdampers .2tv Adjustment of these dempers controls 'the' draft over the ow plate thereby modifyingthe effect of heater 2t thereon and regulating theffemp'er ture'ofthe flowing sheet ofjgla'ssr-g i The entire assembly of furnacefandcoyeriis v supported by the shell ll'whichon' trunnions 29 supported byfffraniwrk: Y

trunnions are located along-.the-axigs'of cylindrical furnace about which the-8'sseiiilii'y` be moved, under the inuenee of sectorjl-f worm 32. Y. Beneath and in front of the-flow plate 'Il "ia' positioned a fibre drawing mechanism consisting of an endless conveyor belt 33 passing around '.ff

rollers 34 which are driven from a suitably regulable souree'of power such as a variable speedl motor, not shown. In operation glass is introduced into the furnace thru the charging opening I1 and attains proper viscosity under the influence of heating elements Il and i8. When a suitable lamount of molten glass is accumulated in the furnace,v it is rotated about its Iaxis by worm I2 and sector 3| until a small volume of glass ,overflows the lip u of the furnace and flows down as a thin sheet on flow plate 22. When the molten glass reaches the nange 2l its progress is checked until itv builds up a body of glass sufficiently deepto ow thru notches 24. As the glass flows thru these u openings a 'globule is first formed which soon pulls away from the flange and attenuatesundei. the influence of gravity until it contacts the con. veyor 33. The globule or slug is caught thereon and the fine body of glass connecting it to fp furnace is-drawn out by the movement of conveyor into a fine filament. This filament tends to stick to the conveyor and a skein of filaments is built up thereon which may be remo'vedV continuously or intermittently in any desired manner. l

This apparatus has been found extremely flexible in operation. By adjustment of cover dampers 2l and heater 2i, any desired viscosity of the glass on the flow plate can be maintained regardless of the compositionthereof. Rate of delivery of the glass to the flow plate is easily controlled thru rotation of the furnace and con- A trol of the temperature conditions on the ow plate. These adjustments taken in conjunction with control of speed of the conveyor u permit almost any diameter of nbre to be produced at. will While a preferred form of the invention has been described in detail, modification and substitution are to be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a refractory container for molten glass, rectangular in cross section, of substantial wall thickness and open at the top,

'means for heating the container, a refractory -along one top edge of said container and ex tending over the edge thereof into the interior of the'container, said flow plate having an upturned flange along its outer edge, said flange being provided at spaced intervals with flow openings, and means for moving said container and flow plate about an axis parallel with said edge of said flow plate.

3. In combination a refractory container for molten glass, rectangular in cross section and open at the top, means for heating said container, a refractory metal flow plate positioned along one top edge of said container and extending over such edge into the interior of said container, said flow plate having an upturned top edge of said container and extending over the edge thereof into the interior of said container, said ow plate having an upturned flange along its outer edge, said flange being provided at spaced intervals with flow openings, heating means above said flow plate, a refractory cover extending over said flow plate and heating means,

- said cover including a regulable opening located above said heating means.

' 5. In combination a refractory container for molten glass, rectangular in cross section and open at its top, means for heating the container,

-a refractory metal flow plate positioned along one top edge of the container and extending over said edge into the interior of the container, said flow plate having an upstanding flange along its outer edge, said flange being provided at spaced intervals with flow openings and means separate from said container vheating means for controlling the heat conditions along said now plate.

6. In combination a refractory container for molten glass, rectangular in cross section and open at the top, means for heating the container, a refractory metal dow plate positioned along one top edge of the container and extending thereover into the interior ofthe container, said now plate having an upstanding ange along its outer edge, said flange being provided at spaced intervals with now openings, means separate from said container heating means for controlling the heat conditions along said flow plate and means for varying the inclination of said flow plate to cooperate with said last named means -in controlling the rate of flow of glass on said flow plate.

EDMUND H. WEILECH. 

